Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/661117
45 Events maltatoday, SUNDAY, 3 APRIL 2016 GasanMamo invites their clients to visit the Notarial Archives GASANMAMO recently treated clients to a special visit to the No- tarial Archives in Valletta. As a strong advocate of corporate social responsibility, GasanMamo has for the past few years sponsored a long- term restoration project, which has endeavoured to preserve several volumes of deeds and documents at the Notarial Archives. These docu- ments offer a glimpse into daily life throughout some of the most remarkable and unsettling times in Malta's history. Established in 1640 by the Grand Master Jean Baptiste Lascaris, the archive serves as the reposi- tory of over 20,000 registers, con- taining records which reveal the fabric of Maltese life throughout the past six centuries. During the visit, GasanMamo's clients were transported through time by being treated to displays of prised origi- nal documents, and provided with information about the history of the Archive, which stretches as far back to the medieval period. "GasanMamo supports many great causes, and we are very proud of our continued support tothe No- tarial Archives," said Julian J Ma- mo, Managing Director at Gasan- Mamo. "We consider these visits to be a hugely rewarding experience to share with our clients. The Archive provides a rare window into Malta's past and its place in Mediterranean and European history, and our par- ticipation in this project is not only a way for us to understand our past, but a path for us to ensure our her- itage is preserved for future genera- tions." So far the rehabilitation of the Ar- chive has stemmed the tide of the deterioration process, and has pro- vided easier accessibility for local and international students, schol- ars, historians and researcher. New online Maltese dictionary launched The Malta Communications Au- thority (MCA), together with the Vodafone Foundation, the Institute of Linguistics at the University of Malta and the National Council for the Maltese Language, has officially launched a new online dictionary of Maltese. In recognition of the lack of digi- tal resources supporting the Mal- tese language, Dr Edward Woods, Chairman at the MCA stated that the Authority instantly saw the potential of bringing such a varied group of stakeholders together. "In this era of globalisation, it is increasingly important for us to undertake every measure available to sustain our national identity, our culture, our language," said Woods. "The development of resources, in particular digital tools, such as this dictionary, will facilitate the use of the Maltese language, not only in Malta but also for those communi- ties of Maltese speaking individuals living overseas," he continued. This dictionary is a constant work-in-progress. The intention is to keep on updating this resource based on user feedback. The public is therefore strongly encouraged to make use of in-built feedback fa- cilities to suggest new additions or other updates. Substantially funded by the Voda- fone Foundation 'Mobile for Good' campaign, with the support of Infu- sion, this dictionary has been de- veloped to act as a multi-layered re- source, which makes it an essential tool for all types of users, from the young student, to the professional or more advanced scholar. The dictionary currently offers users the possibility of searching for Maltese words and their cor- responding English definitions, as well as providing grammatical in- formation such as a word's part of speech and its root. More advanced features include the display of relat- ed entries, their phonetic transcrip- tions, as well as a word's inflectional forms, such as the various forms for different genders, the plural or, in the case of verbs, the perfective and imperfective. The aim is to contin- ue to develop this dictionary in line with current trends and user ex- pectations. The fact that it is online makes it far easier and more cost effective to keep it updated. The interactive nature of the tool allows users to suggest modifications and/ or the inclusion of other entries. The dictionary is available at w w w.ma ltesed ictiona r y.org.mt and also a freely downloadable app available on Android devices. The dictionary contents were initially compiled opportunisti- cally, by bringing together various online sources and using academic research conducted by various lin- guists and independent researchers, to group related entries together and identify their grammatical in- formation. The initiative was first undertaken by John J. Camilleri as part of his M.Sc. dissertation, which also included an automatic wordform generation component. The results formed part of the Uni- versity of Malta's Maltese Language Resource Server. The current project, led by Dr Al- bert Gatt, in collaboration with the ICT sub-committee of the National Council for the Maltese Language, made substantial developments and improvements to these resources. The team also included Ms Maria Theresa Abdilla and Mr John Paul Grima, both postgraduate stu- dents at the University of Malta. Commenting on this new online resource, University Rector Prof. Juanito Camilleri said that it was a pleasure to see that the University of Malta was driving such develop- ments. "This tool will become indispen- sible for anyone using the Maltese language, whether they are in Malta or are members of the substantial commuity of first and second- generation users of Maltese living abroad. Such developments also ensure that the Maltese language thrives not only among its speakers, but also in the digital sphere." Talking about the 'Mobile for Good' Programme, Jason Pavia, Member of the Vodafone Foun- dation explained that this pro- gramme specifically aims at using mobile technology to deliver posi- tive change within the community across a number of different areas. "Users now have full access, irre- spective of technology, to a state-of- the-art online Maltese dictionary that will present our national lan- guage in all its richness to the whole community, as well as to anyone around the world who has an inter- est in our language," said Pavia. "We believe that one of the most impor- tant features of the project is that this resource will be freely available to all – this accessibility is one of the most positive aspects of online pro- jects such as this," he concluded. Emirates extends online check-in to 48 hours before departure EMIRATES has extended its online check-in to 48 hours before depar- ture, from 24 hours, effective im- mediately. Customers around the world can check in online on both desktop and mobile devices from 48 hours to 90 minutes before flight departure. The increased lead time offers customers greater flexibility in choosing their seats, and reduces waiting times at the airport as they would already have their boarding passes before arriving at the airport. Passengers can then drop their lug- gage at online check-in counters before heading straight through to immigration and security. For flights to and from the United States, while online check-in is available 48 hours before departure, boarding passes will only be issued 24 hours in advance. "We have always taken into ac- count feedback to improve the cus- tomer journey and the extension of online check-in is a result of that. By allowing check-in from 48 hours before departure we are providing our customers added flexibility to choose their preferred seats for a more comfortable journey. This is just one of the many initiatives we are implementing to enhance our customers' experience online," ex- plained Alex Knigge, Senior Vice President of Corporate Communi- cations Marketing & Brand (Digi- tal). The earlier check-in window will also enable more seamless com- munication with customers should there be unexpected flight delays or disruptions. For members of Emir- ates Skywards, the airline's frequent flyer programme, the extended check in time will also mean better availability of upgrades. In addition to online check-in ser- vices, the airline also operates car park check-in facilities around the clock at its hub in Dubai. Custom- ers can choose to check in and drop their luggage at the car park check- in facilities from 24 hours to six hours prior to departure easing the crowds during peak travel periods. Alternatively, customers travelling out of Dubai can choose to drop their luggage at one of the 46 dedi- cated bag drop counters in Econo- my Class or separate counters in First Class and Business Class at Dubai International Airport from six hours to 90 minutes prior to departure. An additional 10 bag drop counters are available in the dedicated USA flight check-in zone. As a result of these initiatives, cus- tomers can look forward to shorter queues at the various check in and bag drop points. The extended check-in window is one of many features on emirates. com that aims to improve the cus- tomer experience. Another feature is the recently introduced 'Hold my fare' option, which gives customers the opportunity to hold their res- ervations and lock in competitive Emirates fares for a nominal fee. This feature has now been extended to 72 hours. Emirates customers can easily plan and manage their flight book- ing, accommodation and transport rentals on emirates.com. Emirates operates daily scheduled flights between Malta and Dubai. Emirates flies twice weekly to Mal- ta, on Mondays and Wednesdays, via Larnaca in Cyprus, and on Sun- days, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays the airline operates the Dubai - Malta route on a circu- lar routing via Tunis in Tunisia. The return flight flies direct from Malta to Dubai. Discovery World becomes Discovery Family As from 29 March, Discovery World was re-branded to Dis- covery Family and will showcase family premium programming along with glossy documentaries about the world we live in and beyond, space adventures as well as crazy experiments in popular science. Other series will focus on animal stories and children's entertainment during the early morning Kids Block genre. As part of Discovery Family's Kids Block, the new animated se- ries 'Doki' follows the young ex- plorer, Doki, and his best friends. Together they make up Team Doki and the knowledge-hungry gang travel around the globe in search of the answers to their many questions. The series will premiere on Monday 4 April at 6.00am. Pop Science is another genre that will feature exciting experiments and series such as 'Redesign My Brain', which explores the sci- ence of neuroplasticity and puts the idea of brain plasticity to the test. With 'Nextworld', Discovery Family takes the lead in bringing people even deeper into the 21st century and beyond by introduc- ing the visionaries, the science, the builders and the innovations that raise ideas that seem impos- sible now, but could become real- ity in our lifetimes. Pop Science will feature on Discovery Family as from Monday 4 April. In April, Discovery Family will also show- case young and passionate sci- entists and magicians who travel the world seeking knowledge and adventure. More information on Discov- ery Family can be obtained from all GO retail outlets and exclu- sive resellers, by calling Free- phone 80072121 or visiting www. go.com.mt.